Submersible vehicle with multiple tubular ring hull

ABSTRACT

A submersible vehicle hull section is fabricated from a series of consecutively aligned tubular rings that are joined together on a common axis and are filled with pressurant material. The material internal pressure operates to pretension the rings for counteracting intense depth pressures exerted by ocean water upon the vehicle. When the pressurant material is fluid a fluid pressure regulating system may be coupled in fluid communication with the tubular rings in order to selectively vary the fluid pressure inside the rings to accommodate varying depth pressures.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Frank Baldwin Hunter 24042 Friar St.,Woodland Hills, Calif. 95695 [21 Appl. No. 830,229 (22] Filed June 4,1969 [45] Patented Oct. 12,1971

[54] SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE WITH MULTIPLE TUBULAR RING HULL 12 Claims, 7Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 114/16, 220/3 [51] B63g 8/00 [50] 1 14/16; 220/3, 9 A

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,844,271 7/1958 Shelton220/3 3,167,204 1/1965 Rouse 114/16 X 3,338,201 8/1967 Miller.... 114/163,191,792 6/1965 Hunt 220/3 Primary Examiner-Trygve M. BlixAttorney-Pastoriza & Kelly ABSTRACT: A submersible vehicle hull sectionis fabricated from a series of consecutively aligned tubular rings thatare joined together on a common axis and are filled with pressurantmaterial. The material internal pressure operates to pretension therings for counteracting intense depth pressures exerted by ocean waterupon the vehicle. When the pressurant material is fluid a fluid pressureregulating system may be coupled in fluid communication with the tubularrings in order to selectively vary the fluid pressure inside the ringsto accommodate varying depth pressures.

PATENTED 0m 1 2mm 3.611.966

INI/IEN'I'UR. FRANK BALDWIN HUNTER A TTORNEYS SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE WITHMULTIPLE TUBULAR RING HULL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to a submersible vehicle and more specifically to a submersiblevehicle whose hull section is relatively lightweight and yet capable ofplunging to extreme ocean depths while safely withstanding enormousdepth pressures.

Conventional submersible vehicles constructed to undertake missions atgreat ocean depths are ordinarily of spherical geometry and/or theirhulls have thick ribbed walls. These vehicles are usually bulky andweighty and are difficult to efficiently maneuver because of the poorstability and buoyancy problems.

In contrast with conventional submersible vehicle hulls the hull of thisinvention is constructed in a vastly different manner involving thepressurization of material within a series of interlinked tubular ringsto engender pretension stresses in the rings for counteracting theotherwise crushing forces of great water depths.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described the present inventioncomprehends a high-strength structural arrangement for the hull sectionof a submersible vehicle that is easy to assemble and highly effectivein withstanding intense pressures at great water depths. In its broadestscope the submersible vehicle hull section of the present inventionincludes a plurality of rings that are consecutively aligned on a commonaxis and filled with pressurant material, such as fluid, with adjacenttubular rings joined securely together by a suitable joining means. Therings may be of torus configuration and, in accordance one embodiment,the joining means may be characterized by saddle blocks alternatelyarranged with respect to the tubular rings.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment the plurality of tubularrings include a plurality of adjacent outer annular strips aligned on acommon axis and a plurality of adjacent inner annular strips spacedradially inwardly of the outer annular strips. A plurality of annularstruts are disposed between and are securely coupled with the outer andinner annular strips to form the tubular rings.

A fluid pressure regulating system may be coupled in fluid communicationwith the tubular rings to selectively vary the fluid pressure inside therings. For increasing 'water depths the fluid pressure regulating systemis operated to correspondingly increase the fluid pressure within therings. The regulating system includes a central manifold line coupled tobranch lines through which pressurant fluid is distributed into andwithdrawn from individual tubular rings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

The numerous benefits and unique aspects of the present invention willbe fully understood when the following detailed description is studiedin conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section, showing asubmersible vehicle whose hull section is constructed from a pluralityof tubular rings;

FIG. 2 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the hull section taken alongline 22 of FIG. 1, showing a tubular ring filled with pressurantmaterial;

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view of a longitudinal top segment of thehull section taken along line 33 of FIG. 2, showing the tubular ringswith torus configurations;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3, showing thetubular rings with another type of cross-sectional configuration;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4, showing thehull section divided into two portions by tubular rings of differentcross-sectional configurations;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hull section similar to theright side portion of the structure shown in FIG. 5; and,

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, asubmersible vehicle 10 is shown which may, for example, be used forconducting marine science studies, conducting underwater commercialinvestigations or experiments, assisting in salvage operations, etc.Vehicle 10 has a hull section 11 and an operations control cabin 12. Apropulsion system 13 is equipped with a propeller, rudders andstabilizer fins.

Hull section 11 of vehicle 10 is constructed from a thinwalled skin orshell 15 wrapped around a plurality of tubular rings 16. The rings 16are consecutively aligned on a common axis which coincides with thelongitudinal axis of vehicle 10. Shell 15 is assembled to enhance thehydrodynamic efliciency of vehicle 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates a tubular ring 16 of general torus configuration,i.e.; a configuration described when a circle is revolved about astraight line that lies within the plane of the circle and does notintersect the circle. Ring 16 has a hollow annular space 17 that isfilled with a pressurant material 18 which may, for example, behydraulic brake liquid or nitrogen gas. For purposes of example, thediameter D of ring 16 is 15 feet, the outer diameter CD. of the tubularwall is 16 inches, and, the wall thickness t is 1.375 inches. Preferablyring 16 is constructed from a high-strength maragingsteel that ischaracterized by an ideal strength-to-weight ratio.

Referring now to FIG. 3 tubular rings ,16 of hull section 11 are joinedtogether by welding as a unitby saddle blocks 19. Tubular rings 16 andsaddle blocks 19 are alternately arranged and the sidewalls of saddleblocks 19 are concavely contoured in order to interfit with adjacentrings 16. Saddle blocks 19 are also constructed with sufficientthickness to safely transmit and absorb the most severe longitudinallyoriented compressive stresses anticipated under adverse conditions.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the construction of hullsection 1 1. Tubular rings 20 are constructed from outer annular strips21 that have marginal edges 22 and 23, and, are laterally bowed in crosssection with their convex surfaces facing outwardly away from the hullsection longitudinal centerline. Inner annular strips'24 are positionedradially inwardly of and correspond with the outer annular strips 21.Inner annular strips 24 have marginal edges 25 and 26 and are also ofgenerally bowed configuration in cross section with their convexsurfaces facing inwardly towards the hull section longitudinalcenterline. A series of parallel annular struts 27 are arranged betweenstrips 21 and 24. Individual tubular rings 20 are formed by joining thestrut outer edges 28 to adjacent outer strip edges 22 and 23, and, byjoining the strut inner edges 29 to the inner strip adjacent edges 25and 26.

Referring to FIG. 5 a longitudinal section of a submersible vehicle hullis depicted wherein a tubular portion, such as that shown in FIG. 4,merges into a conical or frustoconical portion. The conical portion isconstructed from outer annular strips 30, inner annular strips 31 and aseries of diagonal struts 32 that interlink strips 30 and 31 in order toconstitute the individual tubular rings. Successive outer annular strips30 and inner annular strips 31 diminish in diameter from left to rightto form the tapered or conical portion.

FIG. 6 shows a hull section similar to the tapered portion depicted inFIG. 5. A plurality of adjacent outer annular strips 33 arelongitudinally offset and spaced radially outwardly of a plurality ofadjacent inner annular strips 34. A set of first oblique or diagonalstruts 35 are disposed between outer strips 33 and inner strips 34 andare slanted in a given direction not perpendicular to the hull sectionaxis. Alternately arranged between struts 35 are plural diagonal struts36 that are slanted in a different direction than struts 35 and are alsonot aligned perpendicular to the hull section axis. The outer edges ofadjacent struts 35 and 36 converge and are coupled to adjacent edges ofstrips 33 to constitute joints 37. In a similar manner the inner ends ofadjacent struts 35 and 36 converge and are coupled to adjacent edges ofinner strips 34 to constitute joints 38. By constructing the individualtubular rings with triangular cross sections the rings are substantiallystructurally reinforced to withstand greater crushing forces exerted bythe pressures of surrounding water.

FIG. 7 shows a fluid pressure regulating system 39 that can be operatedto vary the pressure inside the tubular rings in order to accommodatechanging pressure conditions at different water depths. System 39incorporates a motor 40 that drives a pressurant fluid pump 41. Thepressurant fluid is selectively pressurized by a pressure regulator 42and discharged into a central manifold line 43. For purposes ofillustration three tubular rings 44, 45 and 46 are shown which containpressurant fluid 47. The longitudinal axis or centerline of the hull isindicated by numeral 48.

Manifold line 43 is coupled in fluid communication to three branch lines49, 50 and 51 that correspond to tubular rings 44, 45 and 46respectfully. Each branch line includes a check valve 52 for admittingpressurant fluid 47 into an associated tubular ring. Each branch line isarranged in fluid communication with a vent line 53 which bypasses checkvalve 52 and can be actuated by a solenoid 54 in order to dischargepressurant fluid 47 back to manifold line 43.

Alternatively the pressurant material confined by the tubular rings maybe initially pressurized as the hull section is constructed the selectedpressure being adequate to withstand the most intense anticipatedcrushing pressures.

The internal compressive pressure of the pressurant material serves toload the tubular rings with pretension. The resulting pretension stressbuilt into the tubular rings allows the hull section to withstandgreater external crushing pressures.

OPERATION Keeping the above constructions in mind it can be understoodhow many disadvantages of conventional submersible vehicle hulls areovercome or substantially eliminated by the present invention.

In order to benefit from the advantages of this invention it should beunderstood that the pressurant fluid within the tubular rings may be,(1) increased to a maximum pressure and thereafter maintained constantas the hull section is being fabricated, or, (2) varied in pre ure toaccommodate existing or anticipated water depths by operation of fluidpressure regulating system 39 shown in FIG. 7.

Assuming that regulating system 39 is installed within submersiblevehicle for use in conjunction with the tubular rings 16, then theregulating system 39 will be operated to effect minimum pressurizationwhen vehicle 10 is at or near the water surface. The necessarypressurization will depend not only upon the water depth but upon thestresses expected when vehicle 10 is propelled through variousmaneuvers. For example, during relatively sharp turning maneuvers thelongitudinally exerted bending stresses encountered may be extreme.

By way of example pressure-regulating system 39 may be operated toincrease the fluid pressure inside the tubular rings from 12,500 p.s.i.to 25,000 p.s.i. as vehicle 10 is plunged from 10,000 feet to a depth of20,000 feet.

The resistance of the hull section to crushing forces at great waterdepths is much greater than the resistance capabilities of conventionalhull sections of comparable weight and size because of the pretensionstresses engendered within the tubular rings by the pressurant fluid.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the present invention hasprovided a multiple tubular ring bull in which all of the variousadvantages are fully realized.

What is claimed is:

l. A submersible vehicle comprising:

a. a rigid submersible vehicle hull section with a plurality ofpretensioned structural tubular rings consecutively aligned on a commonaxis;

b. joining means for continuously joining together adjacent tubularrings, the joining means having a thickness equal to at least 75 percentof the tubular rings diameter;

c. nondynamic pressurant material captivated by the tubular rings andsufliciently pressurized to pretension the tubular rings for enhancingtheir capacity to withstand external pressures exerted on the hullsection.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein, the tubular rings are oftorus configuration.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein, the joining meansinclude:

saddle blocks alternately arranged with respect to the tubular rings.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the plural tubular ringsinclude:

a plurality of adjacent outer annular strips aligned on a common axis;

a plurality of adjacent inner annular strips spaced radially inwardly ofthe outer annular strips; and,

a plurality of annular struts with outer strut edges coupled to adjacentedges of the outer annular strips and inner strut edges coupled toadjacent edges of the inner annular strips.

5. The structure according to claim 4, wherein;

the struts are parallel with one another and their planes intersect theaxis of the outer annular strips,

the outer annular strips are bowed in cross section with their convexsurfaces facing outwardly, and,

the inner annular strips are bowed in cross section with their convexsurfaces facing inwardly.

6. The structure according to claim 4, wherein;

successive outer and inner annular strips diminish in diameter in agiven direction in order to form a conically shaped hull sectionportion.

7. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the plural tubular ringsinclude:

a plurality of adjacent outer annular strips aligned on a common axis;

a plurality of adjacent inner annular strips that are spaced radiallyinwardly of and longitudinally offset from the outer annular strips;

a plurality of first diagonal struts disposed between the inner andouter strips, the struts being slanted in a given direction notperpendicular to said axis; and,

a plurality of second diagonal struts alternately arranged with thefirst diagonal struts between the inner and outer strips, the seconddiagonal struts being slanted in a different direction than the givendirection;

wherein the inner strip edges, outer strip edges, first diagonal struts,and, second diagonal struts are coupled together in order to form thetubular rings with triangular cross sections.

8. The structure according to claim 1, wherein;

the pressurant material is fluid, and;

a fluid pressure regulating system is coupled in fluid communicationwith the tubular rings to selectively vary fluid pressure inside therings.

9. The structure according to claim 8, wherein, the regulating systemincludes:

a central manifold line coupled to branch lines through which pressurantfluid is distributed to individual tubular rings.

10. The structure according to claim 9, wherein, each branch lineincludes:

a check valve for admitting pressurant fluid to an associated tubularring; and,

a vent line through which pressurant fluid is discharged back to thecentral manifold line in order to decrease pressure inside a tubularring.

11. A submersible vehicle comprising:

a. a submersible vehicle hull section with a plurality of structuraltubular rings consecutively aligned on a common axis, the hull sectionincluding:

a l. a plurality of adjacent outer annular strips aligned on a commonaxis,

a 2. a plurality of adjacent inner annular strips spaced radiallyinwardly of the outer annular strips and,

a 3. a plurality of annular struts with outer strut edges continuouslycoupled to adjacent edges of the outer annular strips and inner strutedges continuously coupled to adjacent edges of the inner annularstrips;

b. nondynamic pressurant fluid captivated by the tubular rings andsufflciently pressurized to pretension the tubular rings for enhancingtheir capacity to withstand external pressures exerted on the hullsection; and,

c. a fluid pressure regulating system coupled in fluid communicationwith the tubular rings to selectively vary fluid pressure inside therings in order to vary the overall

1. A submersible vehicle comprising: a. a rigid submersible vehicle hullsection with a plurality of pretensioned structural tubular ringsconsecutively aligned on a common axis; b. joining means forcontinuously joining together adjacent tubular rings, the joining meanshaving a thickness equal to at least 75 percent of the tubular rings''diameter; c. nondynamic pressurant material captivated by the tubularrings and sufficiently pressurized to pretension the tubular rings forenhancing their capacity to withstand external pressures exerted on thehull section.
 2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein, thetubular rings are of torus configuration.
 3. The structure according toclaim 1, wherein, the joining means include: saddle blocks alternatelyarranged with respect to the tubular rings.
 4. The structure accordingto claim 1, wherein the plural tubular rings include: a plurality ofadjacent outer annular strips aligned on a common axis; a plurality ofadjacent inner annular strips spaced radially inwardly of the outerannular strips; and, a plurality of annular struts with outer strutedges coupled to adjacent edges of the outer annular strips and innerstrut edges coupled to adjacent edges of the inner annular strips. 5.The structure according to claim 4, wherein; the struts are parallelwith one another and their planes intersect the axis of the outerannular strips, the outer annular strips are bowed in cross section withtheir convex surfaces facing outwardly, and, the inner annular stripsare bowed in cross section with their convex surfaces facing inwardly.6. The structure according to claim 4, wherein; successive outer andinner annular strips diminish in diameter in a given direction in orderto form a conically shaped hull section portion.
 7. The structureaccording to claim 1, wherein the plural tubular rings include: aplurality of adjacent outer annular strips aligned on a common axis; aplurality of adjacent inner annular strips that are spaced radiallyinwardly of and longitudinally offset from the outer annular strips; aplurality of first diagonal struts disposed between the inner and outerstrips, the struts being slanted in a given direction not perpendicularto said axis; and, a plurality of second diagonal struts alternatelyarranged with the first diagonal struts between the inner and outerstrips, the second diagonal struts being slanted in a differentdirection than the given direction; wherein the inner strip edges, outerstrip edges, first diagonal struts, and, second diagonal struts arecoupled together in order to form the tubular rings with triangularcross sections.
 8. The structure according to claim 1, wherein; thepressurant material is fluid, and; a fluid pressure regulating system iscoupled in fluid communication with the tubular rings to selectivelyvary fluid pressure inside the rings.
 9. The structure according toclaim 8, wherein, the regulating system includes: a centraL manifoldline coupled to branch lines through which pressurant fluid isdistributed to individual tubular rings.
 10. The structure according toclaim 9, wherein, each branch line includes: a check valve for admittingpressurant fluid to an associated tubular ring; and, a vent line throughwhich pressurant fluid is discharged back to the central manifold linein order to decrease pressure inside a tubular ring.
 11. A submersiblevehicle comprising: a. a submersible vehicle hull section with aplurality of structural tubular rings consecutively aligned on a commonaxis, the hull section including: a
 1. a plurality of adjacent outerannular strips aligned on a common axis, a
 2. a plurality of adjacentinner annular strips spaced radially inwardly of the outer annularstrips and, a
 3. a plurality of annular struts with outer strut edgescontinuously coupled to adjacent edges of the outer annular strips andinner strut edges continuously coupled to adjacent edges of the innerannular strips; b. nondynamic pressurant fluid captivated by the tubularrings and sufficiently pressurized to pretension the tubular rings forenhancing their capacity to withstand external pressures exerted on thehull section; and, c. a fluid pressure regulating system coupled influid communication with the tubular rings to selectively vary fluidpressure inside the rings in order to vary the overall pretension forceof the hull section.
 12. The structure according to claim 11, wherein;the struts are parallel with one another and their planes intersect theaxis of the outer annular strips, the outer annular strips are bowed incross section with their convex surfaces facing outwardly, the innerannular strips are bowed in cross section with their convex surfacesfacing inwardly, and, fluid pressure regulating system includes acentral manifold line coupled to branch lines through which pressurantfluid is distributed to individual tubular rings.